Length of hospital stay after cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016: A national register-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Length of hospital stay after birth has decreased during the last decades, but nationwide data on length of hospital stay after cesarean section are lacking. Elements of Enhanced Recovery Programs were reported to reduce the length of hospital stay. The aim of this nationwide study was to describe the length of hospital stay after cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016 taking into account birth- and health-related factors as well as demographic changes and, further, to assess potential differences between the five Danish regions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Length of hospital stay was assessed in 164 209 deliveries by cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016. Data were obtained from the Danish National Patient Register. All deliveries by cesarean section at gestational age <22 weeks were excluded. Median length of hospital stay was reported based on crude and adjusted analyses. RESULTS: The median length of hospital stay was significantly reduced by 39 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] 37.9-40.1), from 97 hours (4.0 days) in 2004 to 58 hours (2.4 days) in 2016. Reductions were observed among both planned and emergency cesarean sections. When birth- and health-related factors as well as demographic changes were accounted for, median length of hospital stay was reduced by 30 hours (95% CI 29.3-30.8) in the period. The decrease in length of hospital stay from 2004 to 2016 varied between the five Danish regions, with adjusted reductions between 19 and 46 hours. CONCLUSIONS: A nationwide decrease in length of hospital stay after cesarean section was observed from 2004 to 2016 across all five regions but with significant regional variations. Further studies on the optimal length of hospital stay are needed, especially with regard to implementation of enhanced recovery programs.

Effect of early discharge after planned cesarean section on recovery and parental sense of security. A randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: In some European countries, discharge the day after planned cesarean section has become an accepted procedure. However, little is known about the patients' perception of early discharge. The aim of this study was to compare early discharge with standard care in relation to parental sense of security. Further, we evaluated postoperative pain, mobilization, and readmission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a randomized clinical trial including parous, singleton pregnant women with a planned cesarean section at term. The women were allocated to either discharge within 28 hours (intervention group) or after 48 hours (standard care group) following the cesarean section. Women discharged within 28 hours after cesarean section were offered a home visit by a midwife the following day. The primary outcome was the postnatal sense of security, which was reported by the woman and her partner in the "Parents' Postnatal Sense of Security" questionnaire 1 week postpartum. Secondary outcomes were pain score, use of analgesics, mobilization, readmission, and contacts with the healthcare system in the postoperative period. RESULTS: We included 143 women, of whom 72 were allocated to the intervention group and 71 were allocated to the standard care group. There were no differences in baseline characteristics. The two groups did not differ concerning the postnatal sense of security for the women (P = .98) or the postnatal sense of security for the partners (P = .38). We found no difference in pain scores, step count, use of analgesics, or number of contacts with the health-care system between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Parental postnatal sense of security is not compromised by discharge within 28 hours followed by a home visit compared with discharge after 48 hours after planned cesarean section among parous women.